Daniel
founded Brooklyn Baseball Banter, and it’s Facebook page Brooklyn Cyclones:
News & Memes during the Winter of 2013-14. He has written almost every
article on Brooklyn Baseball Banter. Aside from running Brooklyn Baseball
Banter, he is an admin of 2 Brooklyn Cyclones Facebook Groups.

Daniel has
been a Die Hard Cyclones Fan since 2001. He is a Season Ticket Holder in
Section 16, where he is known as the Brooklyn Cowbell Guy. Daniel is featured
in the 2014 Brooklyn Cyclones team set.

While not
attending games, Daniel works at SubSational, located in the Brooklyn College
Hillel. Daniel is a currently a Communications Major at Brooklyn College.

His first post is later on today and please welcome him aboard when it comes out in print.

We all know
that the Mets will not have a first round pick in the 2015 draft, but there’s
still 49 other players that have to be picked. Mack’s Mets isn’t covering the
draft as much as it has in the past (concentrating 100% on the Mets now), but I
do want to alert my readers to certain programs that are known to punch out
winners, year after year.

The
Vanderbilt University won the NCAA Division I College Baseball World Series
this past spring and three of their top juniors will most probably be picked in
the first 50 picks.

SS Dansby Swanson and starting pitchers Carson Fulmer and Walker
Buehler all are projected to be drafted in the first 60 picks, which
means one or more could still be around when the Mets finally get to pick their
first pick of the day.

The latest
was the defensive skills (sic) of Wilmer Flores vs.
Dilson Herrera and which one would make a better
middle infielder based on their arm, feet, and glove, not their bat.

This is a
totally subjective subject at this point, plus they are both currently playing
different positions. I’ve been pretty predictable on my opinions of Flores over
the 67 years he has played in the Mets organization. I think he has the
potential to hit like a ‘baby bull’, I always liked his arm, he has cement feet
and will never be an effective shortstop at the major league level, and he runs
like a tank.

I wish
Flores all the luck and success in the world and, boy, wouldn’t it be great if
he hit 30 home runs this season and led the team to the playoffs, but the Mets
will not play top level team ball (and consistently make the playoffs) without
a quality defensive, Gold Glove type candidate at that position.

There are
some in the organization that could someday qualify for that position
defensively… Luis Guillorme, Amed Rosario, Milton Ramos…
but we’ll have to wait a while to find this out.

If I was a
betting man I would say that this whole issue will go away between today and
the end of the 2016 Hot Stove season when someone is brought in from outside
the organization, a move that we all know should have been done three months
ago.

Anthony
DiComo Verified account -
‏@AnthonyDiComo - From what I can gather, #Mets have done due diligence on
Cuban SS Yoan Moncada, but don't view him as a
realistic option given their budget.

Mack – I
wish I knew if this was the exact wordage from the Mets or was this rhetoric
from a beat reporter. Nobody outside of this ‘administration’ likes being the
kid standing outside the white tablecloth restaurant, in the snow, looking in
the window while not having enough to eat. But, if this ‘realistic option given
their budget’ is coming from within the Mets offices… and this was in an
official press release or statement from the Mets, then all this is, is some
pompous, arrogant throw-away that once again is designed solely to insult the
fan base and incite the beat press.

If it’s beat
reporter generated, then whoever ‘started this’ ought to be ashamed of
themselves. We all know that this guy’s total package is going to be something
in the $80mil range and the Mets simply don’t operate this way for untested
international talent. We don’t have to keep having our nose rubbed in it over subjects like this.

MLB has
ranked Noah Syndergaard as the #2 RHP prospect
in baseball –

A big,
strong classic power right-hander, Syndergaard combines plus fastball velocity
with outstanding command and control. He can crank his fastball up to 98 mph
and will run it in on right-handed hitters. Syndergaard will add and subtract
from his curve, giving hitters different looks. His changeup improved in 2014,
giving him a third above-average offering. He's always been around the plate,
having walked just 2.6 per nine innings through the 2014 season while striking
out 10. He's a good athlete and repeats his delivery well, throwing downhill
consistently from his 6-foot-6 frame.

Mack
– Syndergaard wouldn’t be ranked this high unless he was starting to develop
decent secondary pitches that can complement his heater. That’s what he
is working on this off-season with the hopes of making the Queens rotation out
of camp.

His
chances are slight due to blocking, but let’s give the kid kudos for wanting to
succeed.

21
comments:

As I stated yesterday, While I believe the Mets certainly have the money to sign Moncada the timing of the payout requirements are likely a reason they are unable to go after him.

According to Ben Badler a team must pay the MLB fees the June 15th after his signing and can only stretch a signing bonus over 3 years. So if we assume an even $10M per year. The signing team is going to have to pay out $40M in 2015 to have Moncada sit in the minor leagues.

In reference to Syndergaard.

"His chances are slight due to blocking"

Not sure what you mean by this...I don't think he's blocked by anyone. The Mets are just buying their time before promoting him to save on service time.

I am ok with them not spending the $80 mil on Moncada as long as they do go well over the spending amount in the international draft. Do what the Cubs did 2 years ago and make up for wasting this years first round pick on Cuddyer. I would be ok with them spending about $15 milion on the draft and then having to match that. Spend the other $50 million on a free agent next year? I wish we just would have signed Rios for the one year and not lost the pick.

I don't know if I agree with blowing through the international limits. Even though the Mets always seem to find 1 or 2 stud guys every year most 16 yr old signings fail. That's why teams sign almost a dozen kids in total for lower money and only 1 or 2 for big money.

This year's stud was the just turned 16 year old Kenny Hernandez who required $1M to sign. While he pan out? Who knows? But, having an inability to play around the international for 2 years when guys like Hernandez, Lupo, Flores, Molina, etc. etc. pop up every year could be extremely detrimental to an organization.

@soto I just want to make up for that 1st rounder and percentage wise some of these higher paid guys do pan out. Just looking to increase our chances a bit for scoring a better prospect, and let them spend some money.

Herrera v. Flores is not a defensive comparison - they have vastly different strengths and weaknesses.

Flores has a very good arm and very good hands - which is why I hope he can do a Perralta at SS.

Herrera supposedly has a weak arm (the org tried him at SS a little bit and he couldn't pull it off at all); he definitely has more straight line foot speed than Flores, but I am not sure his first step and agility are that much better.

From what I read, Herrerra will be an okay defensive 2b, but not fantastic.

RE Moncada - I am not sure how many teams have the free cash flow to make a $30 million payment in lump sum.

Although, the Mets, if they really wanted to, could finance it - I don't buy their poor mouthing, they have plenty of money to spend.

I think this is just a good story line for the team not to take a flier on Moncado - which, is defensible, $60 million on a 19 year old is crazy, think about how much more that is than the #1 pick in the draft gets

The diffrence bettween Moncada and Lupo, Flores etc is that he is more advanced then those 16 yr old and every scout has said Moncada will be a sure MLB. Thats why Mets should go over there intl spending limit for a player like Moncada.

Greg - I know what the scouts are saying, but laying out $60 million for an immature, not yet fully physically mature 19 year old kid is a heavy, heavy bet.

Go back and look at Reyes - he was a no doubt stud future All Star at 19 - and then he played 110 games over 2 years because of nagging leg injuries.

A 162 game season is a long hard grind, and is physically taxing on a 19 year old kid.

The risks with this kid are very high - laying out $60 mill with that kind of risk is a tough pill to swallow.

I hope the kid stays healthy and becomes a beast, and I am not saying the Mets should not be in, but I also understand why any team would be hesitant to pounce on this kid - despite the scouting reports

@ Reese: that is a HARD question, who will be the better offensively of Flores or Herrera. I give the edge to Herrera as he will also have speed to his offensive advantage. I think both can be All Star caliber offensively in a few years. Just a gut.